elvis(1)                                                       elvis(1)

  elvis

  NAME

    elvis - Visual editor emulating vi and ex

  SYNOPSIS

    elvis [-eirRsv] [+cmd] [-c cmd] [-m [file]] [-t tag]
          [-w winsize] [files...]

  DESCRIPTION

    The elvis(1) utility is a text editor which emulates vi(1) and ex(1).

    The elvis(1) utility can be installed under the names ex(1) and vi(1)
    (replacing the nvi(1) versions of ex(1) and vi(1)). You may also install
    elvis(1) under the names view(1) and input. If elvis(1) is installed on an
    NTFS partition, these extra names can be links to elvis(1); see the ln(1)
    shell command.

    When invoked as vi(1), the program behaves exactly as though it was
    invoked as "elvis". However, if you invoke elvis(1) as view(1), then the
    readonly option is set as though you had given it the -R flag. If you
    invoke the program as ex(1), then elvis(1) will start up in the colon
    command mode instead of the visual command mode, as though you had given
    it the -e flag. If you invoke elvis(1) as edit(1), then elvis(1) will
    start up in input mode, as though the -i flag was given.

    The elvis(1) utility takes the following options:
    +cmd
        The elvis(1) utility executes the command cmd after loading the first
        file. A typical example would be "elvis +237 foo", which would cause
        elvis(1) to start editing foo and then move directly to line 237. Cmd
        must be a colon command.
    -c cmd
        The System V version of the + option. elvis(1) executes cmd after
        loading the first file. A typical example would be "elvis -c 237 foo",
        which would cause elvis(1) to start editing foo and then move directly
        to line 237. Cmd must be a colon command.

    -e
        The elvis(1) utility will start up in colon command mode (ex(1) mode).

    -i
        The elvis(1) utility will start up in input mode.
    -m [file]
        The elvis(1) utility will search through file for something that looks
        like an error message from a compiler. It will then begin editing the
        source file that caused the error, with the cursor sitting on the line
        where the error was detected. If you don't explicitly name a file,
        then "errlist" is assumed.

    -r
        To the real vi(1), this flag means that a previous edit should be
        recovered. The elvis(1) utility, though, has a separate program,
        called elvrec(1), for recovering files. When you invoke elvis(1) with
        -r, elvis(1) will tell you to run elvrec(1).

    -R
        This sets the "readonly" option, so you won't accidentally overwrite a
        file.

    -s
        This set the "safer" option, which disables many potentially harmful
        commands. It has not been rigorously proven to be absolutely secure,
        however.
    -t tag
        This causes elvis(1) to start editing at the given tag

    -v
        The elvis(1) utility will start up in visual command mode.
    -w winsize
        Sets the "window" option's value to winsize.

  FILES

    The elvis(1) utility makes use of the following files:

    /tmp/elv*
        During editing, elvis(1) stores text in a temporary file.

    tags
        This is the database used by the :tags command and the -t option. It
        is usually created by the ctags(1) program.

    $HOME/.exrc
        A file called .exrc in your home directory is executed as a series of
        ex(1) commands. A file by the same name may be executed in the current
        directory, too.

  ENVIRONMENT

    TERM
        This is the name of your terminal's entry in the termcap or terminfo
        database. The list of legal values varies from one system to another.

    TERMCAP
        Optional. If your system uses termcap, and the TERMCAP variable is
        unset, then elvis(1) will read your terminal's definition from /usr/
        share/termcap. (The INTERIX_ROOT directory is the location where you
        installed the Interix product.) If TERMCAP is set to the full pathname
        of a file (starting with a '/') then elvis(1) will look in the named
        file instead of /usr/share/termcap. If TERMCAP is set to a value which
        doesn't start with a '/', then its value is assumed to be the full
        termcap entry for your terminal.

    TERMINFO
        Optional. If your system uses terminfo, and the TERMINFO variable is
        unset, then elvis(1) will read your terminal's definition from the
        database in the /usr/share/terminfo database. If TERMINFO is set, then
        its value is used as the database name to use instead of /usr/share/
        terminfo.
    LINES, COLUMNS
        Optional. These variables, if set, will override the screen size
        values given in the termcap/terminfo for your terminal. On windowing
        systems such as X, elvis(1) has other ways of determining the screen
        size, so you should probably leave these variables unset.

    EXINIT
        Optional. This variable can hold EX commands which will be executed
        instead of the .exrc file in your home directory.

    SHELL
        Optional. The SHELL variable sets the default value for the "shell"
        option, which determines which shell program is used to perform
        wildcard expansion in file names, and also which is used to execute
        filters or external programs. The default value is "/bin/sh".

    HOME
        This variable should be set to the name of your home directory.
        elvis(1) looks for its initialization file there; if HOME is unset
        then the initialization file will not be executed.

    TAGPATH
        Optional. This variable is used by the "ref" program, which is invoked
        by the shift-K, control-], and :tag commands. See "ref" for more
        information.

  Related Topics

    ctags(1)

    elvrec(1)

  BUGS

    There is no LISP support. Certain other features are missing, too.

    Auto-indent mode is not quite compatible with the real vi(1). Among other
    things, 0^D and ^^D don't do what you might expect.

    Long lines are displayed differently. The real vi(1) wraps long lines onto
    multiple rows of the screen, but elvis(1) scrolls sideways.

  AUTHOR

    Steve Kirkendall kirkenda@cs.pdx.edu

    Many other people have worked to port elvis(1) to various operating
    systems. To see who deserves credit, run the :version command from within
    elvis(1), or look in the system-specific section of the complete
    documentation.